


The Book

by Muftiday



Category: The Messenger | I Am the Messenger - Marcus Zusak
Genre: Alternate Ending, Expansion on Ending, F/M, Marv and Ritchie exercise tough love, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 22:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7332499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muftiday/pseuds/Muftiday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The book is a product of coffee fuelled, slightly delirious, determination to get it published before "that bastard gets the credit first"; or that's what he insists when Audrey flutters over him in concern.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Book

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this for an english assignment and figured it was decent enough to post maybe. also there's only one other fic for this amazing book and I have too many emotions to let it stay that way

Ed finishes it in three months.

The book is a product of coffee fuelled, slightly delirious, determination to get it published before "that bastard gets the credit first"; or that's what he insists when Audrey flutters over him with concern. The hastily stapled pages carry the stench of the Doorman embroidered with the black ink, and the secretary at the publishing agency curls her lip in subtle disgust around a promise of a reply in a months time. Audrey knows this happens when Ed opens the door to half collapse, half curl up next to the Doorman. The Doorman snuffles into his face. Audrey laughs as Ed cries out at the dog breath. 

Ed spends the next month hovering over the phone like a distressed mother, chewing at his fingers until the skin is throbbing red. This escalates until he attempts to take the phone with him to Marv's place for their card game, at which Marv vehemently refuses to let him in until he gives it to Audrey. Suzanne and Melinda are there. Melinda perches on Marv's knee, giggling behind his cards giddily. She gives away his cards every turn. Suzanne sits beside Marv, his arm looped around her, her leaning into him, contentment emanating from them both. Ritchie pretends to retch at them from his seat beside, and Marv pulls the finger at him when Melinda isn't looking. Ed pulls Audrey closer and kisses her sloppily just to hear Ritchie scream while Marv and Suzanne laugh, Melinda screaming as well for no reason other than to feel included. The game goes on without much incident before the phone rings from Audrey's pocket, at which point Ed jolts so violently his cards fly out of his hands to scatter around the room. He snatches the phone from Audrey and answers before the end of the first ring.  
The call is brief. It involves a lot of Ed saying, "yes", "of course", "really?", and ends with a stammering of them all with a garbled "thank you" tacked on at the end. He hangs up and stares at the phone not unlike a startled hiker staring at a poisonous snake.  
"Well?" Ritchie breaks the silence, "what'd they say?"  
"They…" Ed swallowed, "they're going to publish it."

There's a beat of silence before a loud surge of joy. Ritchie pops the cap off a fresh bottle of beer, froth flying in a spray of unbridled happiness. Audrey jumps up and presses a kiss into Ed's cheek, laughter bubbling out from her like champagne fizz. Marv cheers, bouncing Melinda on his knee while Suzanne applauds.  
"When?" Ritchie asks while sliding the open beer into Ed's hand, smoothly replacing the phone.  
"Soon," Ed murmurs, looking like he still hasn't quite absorbed the call, "I just need to send my affirm… Aff…"  
"Affirmation." Audrey finishes.  
"Right. That." Ed adds. He takes a vacant sip from his beer.  
"Our Ed'll be a published author in no time!" Ritchie exclaims, clapping Ed's back in triumph. Ed lurches under the pressure, narrowly missing spilling his beer. He chuckles nervously, murmuring something under his breath that sounds like a yes.

As it turns out, Ed is not a published author in no time. This is entirely due to his own negligence.  
Although, negligence may be a harsh word, Audrey considers, watching Ed groaning at the Doorman in agony while a fully written email waits to be sent to the publishers. Nerves might be more fitting.  
"Do you want me to send it for you?" She calls from her perch on the couch, some cooking show muted on the television before it was found Ed's pain was infinitely more amusing. The scream of protest she receives for her troubles tells her it's a definite no. She shrugs. He'll send it when he's ready.

Ready, as Audrey later discovers, is not within a week. Marv calls to see if they're coming to his for the weekly card game, and asks Ed if he's sent the email yet. Ed says no. Marv hangs up. A call back has Marv firmly telling Ed that until he sends that email he is hereby banned from card games. Audrey, however, is free to attend. While Audrey laughs herself into slouching helplessly across the couch Ed calls Ritchie and demands he support him. Ritchie asks if Audrey can bring Ed's share of beer; he doesn't want to miss out just because Ed's a pansy. Ed throws the phone across the room in fury, Audrey screeching in laughter loud enough for the Doorman to look up in confusion.  
"This is bullying!" Ed shouts, "I'm being bullied!"  
Audrey brings Ed's beer. Ritchie is very pleased.

Two weeks later Audrey pushes past the Doorman to find Ed curled into a ball on the couch in front of his laptop. His face is buried in the couch cushions and he's making a high pitched noise somewhere between a whine and a quiet scream. Audrey looks down at the Doorman expectantly. He looks up at her, seemingly just as confused as her.  
"Ed?" Audrey asks, setting herself down next to him, "you okay?"  
Ed, looking more like a lump than a person, makes a vague muffled groaning noise  
"Um." Audrey says, not really knowing what else to say.  
"Mmf mmfmfmf," the Ed lump grunts.  
"What?"  
He peels his face from the couch and takes a large breath, "I sent it."  
Audrey blinks at him before looking at the laptop screen. It's on an emailing webpage with a recently sent message to one of the hundred publishing company's Ed sent his book to.  
"Oh," Audrey says, "oh."  
Ed returns to his couch prison with a low scream and Audrey pats him reassuringly on the back. The Doorman glances at them with exasperation before returning to his sleep in the musty sun of the door. Audrey imagines Marv and Ritchie will want to immediately throw a party when they find out Ed finally sent the email. There'll be cards, and beer, and food. Just like there always is. Audrey reckons she could perhaps live like this for a long time.  
Yes, she thinks. She could.


End file.
